The recipe for preparing preformed popped popcorn products, such as popcorn balls, has changed little since its inception. A conventional popcorn ball recipe generally entails separately preparing a freshly popped popcorn batch and a relatively high solids, a molten sugar syrup binder system containing the desired flavoring and coloring additives, mixing the popped corn and molten syrup binder together to coat the surfaces of the individual popped corn kernels with the syrup binder, molding the binder coated popped corn kernels into the shape of a popcorn ball by compressing the coated kernels within a popcorn forming molding device.
The popcorn balls manufacture is pragmatically limited to small batch production, especially since conventional syrup binders tend to readily crystalize within a relatively narrow cooling temperature range. Thus, when a conventional, high-solids sugar syrup binder systems cools a few degrees, the sugar tends to prematurely solidify and crystalize which destroys its binder efficacy in the preparation of such preformed products. The physical and compostional differences between the high-solids binder and coated kernels are not suitably adapted for reconstituting the sugar into solution by reheating of the coated popcorn kernels. Consequently, popcorn kernels coated with a solidified syrup are generally considered unfit for further use in the molding of popcorn balls therefrom.
Popcorn balls formulated from high-solid sugar binder systems also inherently fail to provide the necessary prerequisitial properties as currently demanded by modern day manufacture, distribution and consumer practices. The consumer desired to purchase a preformed popped popcorn product which possesses the freshness and textural eating qualities of a freshly prepared product. Preformed popcorn products formulated with conventional high solid sugar binder systems inherently lack the physical and compositional characterisitcs to adequately protect the product against deterioration, especially when subjected to the divergent environmental storage conditions as typically encountered within its trade. Popcorn balls formulated with a conventional binder are known to possess poor aging and shelf stability, even when stored under controlled environmental conditions such as typically provided by conventional heating and air conditioning units. These poor aging and shelf stability characteristics appear to be due to inherent deficiencies of the binder system. Upon aging, the sugar solids of the binder convert to a very hard and unchewable crystalline structure. Within a month or less, the aged popcorn balls are typically discarded by the retailer and replaced with a fresh product batch. The conventional binder systems also possess a relatively high degree of hygroscopicity, consequently environmental exposure to hot and humid conditions such as normally experienced during the summer months or southern climates can result in moisture absorption and liquification of the binder system. Conversely, exposure to less humid environmental conditions tend to crystalize and harden the binder sugar components and render the product unfit for consumption.
It would be of advantage to manufacturers and distributors to be able to mass produce the product at a central location, warehouse and later ship the product to regional and local distributors so as to meet the consuming public requirements as they arise. Meeting these modern day consumer demands, the shelf-life and retention of the desired freshly prepared product attributes has become an increasingly desirable goal which heretofore cannot be achieved under conventional preformed product manufacturing and binder system practices.
Conventional binder systems for preformed popped popcorn products are also poorly suited for application to modern day manufacturing, distribution and consumer culinary practices. Within recent years, microwave cooking has been increasingly used by the ultimate consumer in the preparation of foods and snack products. Another common practice within the food industry, is to extend product shelf-life by refrigeration or by freezing food products. The frozen or refrigerated food products technology has increasingly expanded into specialty products adapted for use in microwave cookery. Unfortunately, conventional preformed popcorn products are not suited for this purpose. Microwave cooking affects and alters the available and bound moisture content of the food product. Preformed popped popcorn products formulated with conventional high sugar solid binders primarily rely upon its bound moisture content to serve as a plasticizing agent. The microwave cooking of such conventional products tends to evaporate moisture from the binder and convert the product into an extremely hard and unchewable product form. Thus for reasons mentioned above and other associated factors, preformed popped corn products formulated with conventional high syrup solid binder systems have inherently failed to provide the necessary prerequisitial properties as currently desired by the food industry.
A more efficient means in the manufacture of a preformed popped popcorn product formulated with a binder system that preserves and protects the desired freshness, taste, textural and eating qualities of a freshly prepared product would represent a significant technological advance to the art. It would further benefit the trade and consuming public if there could be provided a preformed popcorn product which could be more readily adapted to the more current manufacture, distribution and consumer practices commonly associated with other modern day food products. A preformed popped popcorn formulated with a binder system to overcome the wastes normally attendant conventional binders would afford substantial mass manufacturing improvements and benefits. The preformed popped popcorn product market could also expand into different trading channels if it were possible to provide a product which would lend itself to enhanced storage life and compatibility with the existing frozen and refrigeration trade practices. A binder system which would protect the overall eating, physical and compositional characteristics of the product while also being suited for microwave cooking without causing deterioration of the binder or product would likewise represent a substantial technological advance over current practices. Recognizing the aforementioned problems associated with the current preformed popped popcorn products, its manufacture and applications, the present invention affords a means for overcoming these inherent defects by providing a unique popped corn coating composition and preformed popcorn products formulated with a superior binder system, as well as a uniquely different means for the manufacture and use thereof.